Phoenix Park Murders
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The term Phoenix Park Murders[1] [2] is used to refer to the assassination in 1882 of the second and third in command of the British Dublin Castle government of Ireland by the Irish National Invincibles.
On 6 May 1882, the most senior Irish civil servant, the Permanent Under Secretary, Thomas Henry Burke and the newly appointed Chief Secretary for Ireland, Lord Frederick Cavendish - who was also the nephew of Prime Minister William Gladstone - were murdered by men using surgical knives, as they walked though the Phoenix Park in Dublin en route to the Viceregal Lodge, the "out of season" residence of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Cavendish had only arrived in Ireland the day he was murdered. But instead of simply being stabbed to death, they were "slashed" by means of long cuts all over their body, which is more painful because it takes longer to die. Thomas Myles, resident surgeon at the nearby Dr. Steevens's Hospital, was summoned to render medical assistance to the victims.
The then Lord Lieutenant, the Earl Spencer, described suddenly hearing screams, before witnessing a man running to the Lodge grounds shouting "Lord Frederick Cavendish and Mr. Burke are killed." Responsibility for the assassinations was claimed by a small republican organisation called Irish National Invincibles and they were apparently only out for Burke--it was Cavendish' utter misfortune which placed him at Burke's side that night. In the aftermath, the Irish nationalist leader Charles Stewart Parnell offered to resign from parliament in protest at what he called "these vile murders", an offer turned down by the British Prime Minister, William Ewart Gladstone.
In 1887, Parnell was accused by the British newspaper The Times of condoning the murders of Cavendish and Burke. An investigation cleared the Irish leader of the accusation, which was revealed to be the work of an embittered journalist, Richard Piggott, who committed suicide.
Parnell made a speech condemning the murders. This increased his already huge popularity in both Britain and Ireland. The people of Ireland had just successfully achieved reform under the Kilmainham Treaty, and they hoped for further concession. However, this murder could have resulted in coercionary measures being used by the British government. Therefore they were eager to disassociate themselves from the Invincibles. By condemning the murders, Parnell appealed to the majority of the Irish population. Parnell's reputation increased in Britain, as they saw Parnell as a moderate reformer who would never resort to such tactics.
Even radical Fenianism disapproved of the murders.
All the assassins were eventually captured, and five were hanged.
[edit] References
- ^ Moloney, Senan (2006). The Phoenix Murders: Conspiracy, Betrayal and Retribution. Dublin: Mercier Press. ISBN 1-85635-511-X.
- ^ Corfe, Tom (1968). The Phoenix Park murders:; conflict, compromise and tragedy in Ireland, 1879 - 1882. ISBN 0-340-02624-3.
